UN Programme, Agency or Fund

The benefit of having 25 countries in a programme that spans the globe and represents a range of economic standing from least developed to emerging economies is the incredible amount of south-south learning that can be generated.

1 December 2014: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has invited television weather presenters from around the world to “imagine a weather report from the year 2050.” While they will present possible scenarios, not true forecasts, the reports are based on the most up-to-date climate science and paint a picture of what life could possibly be like if the planet continues to warm.

27 November 2014: The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank held a seminar on improving Africa's hydrological and meteorological systems in order to capture weather and climate data and disseminate information to assist in development planning. Discussions emphasized the critical role of hydrometeorological services in providing information to support economic development and build resilience in many sectors in Africa, including disaster risk reduction and management, water, agriculture, transport, energy, public health and aviation safety and security.

November 2014: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has released the Global Environment Goals (GEG) Live Tracker website to provide information on progress towards achieving internationally-agreed environmental goals and objectives and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The website aims to better inform decision-makers and the public on progress towards the goals and information available for monitoring them.

28 November 2014: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has published the full version of Working Group III's (WG III) contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), titled ‘Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change,' in advance of the UN Climate Change Conference in Lima, Peru. The report explores solutions involved in climate change mitigation based on a comprehensive assessment of the relevant scientific, technical and socioeconomic literature and describes the costs, benefits, risks and trade-offs of alternative policy options.

November 2014: During November 2014, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the World Bank reported on project approvals and progress in ongoing projects in Africa and Asia. AfDB, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank launched publications on, inter alia, climate adaptation technologies, urban climate resilience and climate finance.

27 November 2014: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has launched a tool that will use data from a range of international organizations and academic institutions to help countries prevent and respond to crises. The Index for Risk Management (InfoRM) currently covers 191 countries.

21 November 2014: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has reported that, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), global average temperature over land and ocean surfaces for January to October 2014 was the highest on record, and October was the hottest since measurements began in 1880.

21 November 2014: The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves's inaugural pledging event, the Cookstoves Future Summit, raised more than US$400 million for clean cooking technologies over three years. The pledges come from a diverse range of stakeholders, including governments, UN agencies, the private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and address a range of actions, including affordability and access, awareness and behavior change, monitoring and standards and technology.

10 November 2014: A meeting of the Intergovernmental Board on Climate Services reviewed progress and challenges in the provision and use of climate services, including seasonal forecasts and drought and flood management tools. Growing climate impacts highlight the “urgent need” for more cross-cutting climate services and partnerships to help communities adapt to extreme weather and increase disaster resilience.